Sigourney Weaver was midway through praising her character of Ellen Ripley, her iconic role from the “Alien” franchise, whom she called “an existential hero” with a firm “moral compass,” when she alluded to a very popular discussion among fans.

“Had we done a fifth one, I don’t doubt that her humanity would have prevailed. … “I do feel like there is more story to tell.”

Weaver’s appearance capped off the fifth annual Hero Complex Film Festival at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Hollywood. The actress took the stage for an in-depth Q&A between screenings of Ridley Scott’s landmark 1979 science fiction film “Alien” and James Cameron’s 1986 sequel “Aliens.” (Cameron was a guest of honor at the festival on Saturday, on hand for a Q&A of his own between screenings of “The Terminator” and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.”)

Weaver reminisced about her time as Ripley in the “Alien” movies, and went on to speculate what shape a possible fifth film could take, much to the delight of the rapt audience. The actress earned laughs when she said she didn’t think a new “Alien” sequel could take place on Earth, with the Alien “popping out of a haystack” somewhere in the “French countryside.”

“I feel a longing from fans for the story to be finished,” she said, adding, “I could imagine a situation where we finish telling the story.”

Weaver, who referred to “Alien” as “our little movie,” related many behind the scenes anecdotes from filming — including one involving the infamous “chest bursting scene,” as she called it, with John Hurt.

“We forgot that we were making a movie,” she said. “It was so real to us and convincing. I can’t believe two guys got under a table and made that happen.”

It was this sort of innovation and creativity in a pre-CGI world that Weaver credited with the lasting significance of the film. She paid tribute to the Swiss surrealist artist H.R. Giger, who died last month at age 74. His work served as a direct inspiration for the alien, and he worked as a special effects consultant on the film, which won an Oscar for its visual effects.

Weaver also said the film’s prescient politics were a big part of “Alien’s” lasting cultural relevance.

“A lot of corporations are still characterized by the same kind of greed [as the film’s Weyland-Yutani],” she said. “It’s an idea that’s, unfortunately, very alive in our world.”

Check back soon to watch video from the conversation with Weaver and some of the other special guests from the weekend.

I am a huge fan of the second alien film , Aliens, and would love to see a true close to the story line. I would pay money to see another Ripley story and one that stayed true to the story line . No Prometheus stuff, one that perhaps they bring back hicks and that it was a clone or a fake body in the 3rd film or something. Like in the new one, have him show up and have his back story be like he was held by the company for what he saw in part two , kinda like a debrief for something or like he’s been in hyper sleep like she was for 200 years or something , I don’t know!!!! But it was be cool !